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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. swing — in golf
  3. kid — child
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. swing — music
  13. rule — government
  14. bound — certain
  15. season — in sport
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. kid — to tease
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bark — to shout
  20. cue — a hint
  21. season — of the year
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bound — obliged

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com